2 CO 2 geological storage by ECBM techniques in the Sulcis area (SW Sardinia Region, Italy). C. Amorino (2), R. Bencini (4), R. Cara (2), D. Cinti (1), G. Deriu (3), V. Fandinò (4), A. Giannelli (4), M. Mazzotti (5), S. Ottiger (5), L. Pizzino (1), R. Pini (5), F. Quattrocchi (1), R. G. Sardu (3), G. Storti (5), N. Voltattorni (1). (1) INGV, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Laboratory of Fluid Geochemistry, Rome, Italy; (2) Sotacarbo S.p.A.; (3) Carbosulcis S.p.A.; (4) IES S.r.l.; (5) ETH Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland. Key words: Coal Bed Methane, ECBM, Sulcis Coal, CO 2 storage, Clean Coal Technologies/Plants, Coal/ Natural Gas exploitation Abstract: An ECBM (Enhanced Coal Bed Methane as evolution of CBM techniques) pre-feasibility study started for the Sulcis Coal Province in December 2004 on the basis of the experience gathered: 1) by INGV, from ongoing and past projects dealing with CO 2 geological storage, i.e., Weyburn test-field (Canada) by EOR techniques and from the studies of CO 2 analogues in Italy; 2) by the coal industry of the Sulcis Province (Sotacarbo S.p.A. & Carbosulcis S.p.A.); 3) by ETH Zurich, specifically on the coal adsorption properties, and 4) by IES S.r.l. reservoir engineering and gas storage industrial activity. This paper discusses the state of art of the project in the frame of the worldwide ECBM projects as a whole, on the basis of the yet acquired information and available experimental data. Environmental impact considerations are highlighted on the basis of the available Italian legal tools, giving hints for future EU, Italian and new regional legislation and strategies. A new concept of CO 2 as no waste product in the coal/hydrocarbons provinces for ECBM/EOR exploitation is depicted, defining CO 2 a natural climatealterant factor. Geochemical, structural-geology, stratigraphic and reservoir engineering considerations are discussed. The first newly gathered experimental data, including CO 2 /CH 4 coal adsorption capacity data are showed, even if they are preliminary. Starting from the geological and logistical available data, a MapInfo GIS structure was built up, to be jointed later to other EC CO 2 storage data-gis as the GETSCO EC project structure. The most important objective of this Phase I is the selection of the best for a ECBM test-pilot site, which will be followed (Phase II) by scaled up site and possibly by a future network (Phase III); these phases are foreseen to be accompanied by the selection of the progressively addedco 2 industrial sources (inserted in the Map-info GIS) to be used within the project economic spreadsheet model. CO 2 geological storage in Sardinia is evaluated as a whole, considering the seismotectonic framework and the CO 2 industrial sources available or foreseen in the next years. 1. Introduction Broadly speaking, all ways of converting fossil fuels, Clean Coal Technologies (CCT onward), including the Hydrogen Carrier from fossil fuels produce a waste stream containing variable quantities of CO 2. The potential storage of CO 2 in Italy has never been fully evaluated, but we are convinced that a general Italian survey could be helped by test-sites studies, as ECBM ones, and the two research activities could be parallel (Quattrocchi, 1999; Pizzino et al., 2002; Quattrocchi et al., 2003, 2004 a; Angelone et al., 2004; Miller et al., 2004; Voltattorni et al., 2005). Soon after the first challenging scientific results (Law et al., 2001; Wong et al., 1999, 2001; Mavor et al., 1999; 2002; 2004 a,b; Mac Donald et al., 2003; Gunter et al., 2004) coming from the ECBM scientific Community, strongly busy for the proximal ratification of the Kyoto Agreement (occurred

3 in February 2005), as presented mostly at the GHGT international conferences since 1999 (Green House Gas Control Technologies), ECBM production (Fig. 1) and some challenging pilot-test projects and feasibility studies on ECBM built-up worldwide (Krooss et al., 2002; Busch et al., 2003, 2004; NOVEM, 2001, 2003; Yamaguchi et al., 2004; McIntyre et al., 2004; Reeves, 2004; Carroll and Pashin, 2004; Groshong et al., 2004; Gunter and Chalaturnyk, 2004; Su et al., 2005). Using technologies as EOR and ECBM (Fig. 2), it is possible to capture this stream, inject it underground and effectively store it (Srivastava et al., 2000; Walik & Islam, 2000; Gunter et al., 1993; 1997 a-b, 2000; 2004; Emberley et al. 2003, NOVEM 2003, Riding et al. 2003; Wilson & Monea, 2004; White et al., 2004; IPCC Report 2005 in press; ). NOVEM (The Netherlands) coordinates the European strategy of ECBM, assisted by TNO (NOVEM, 2001). In Europe, the most important ECBM project is RECOPOL (coordinator: TNO-NITG) aimed at the reduction of CO 2 emission by means of CO 2 storage in coal seams of the Silesian Basin, Poland; while other feasibility studies are starting (Allison Unit, USA by Burlington Reseources, Upper-Silesian Basin and Slask, RECOPOL by TNO & partners; Red Dear and Fenn Big Valley by ARC Canada, Quinshui Basin, by ARC-CUCBM, etc.). Coal has enormous advantages over all the other potential CO 2 repositories because it is present worldwide (there are reserves in almost one hundred countries), it maintains stable prices, and it is a resource to be exploited in order to avoid the dependence from other fuels. In Italy, significant coal reserves are not present with the exception of the Sulcis Coal Province (Sardinia), which is not yet exhausted. The Sulcis region occupies the southwestern end of Sardinia, from the valley of the Cixerri River to the Gulf of Palmas in front of which the isles of San Pietro and Sant-Antioco are located. The Sulcis Coal Province is yet exploited since the end of the last century (160 years of activity) by mining shallow coal beds at the beginning. In the last months of 1936, the Italian Coal Firm (A.Ca.I) started to exploit the Sirai-Serbariu coal field. After an initial period of intense extractive activity during the second World War, production slowed remarkably. In the 1950 s and 1960 s, there was renewed activity, as the Sulcis Tertiary coal represented the only coal available in Italy for the renewal of the national industry. The Sulcis Coal Province and in particular the Gonnesa Basin (as minable around 100 Km 2 ) was managed in the past, before the Carbosulcis S.p.A., by AGIP Carboni and ENEL Carbone (the first 500 m deep strata, foreseen as tonn minable, actually by the Carbosulcis S.p.A. facilities). Nowadays the interest for the Sulcis coal is rising again and also the reservoir data were reworked (Carbosulcis, 1994). The reservoir data, available at the Regional Minerary Office. ECBM techniques (suitable for un-minable coal beds, as Enhanced Coal Bed Methane) may provide net storage of CO 2, if applied in a coal province such as Sulcis (SW Sardinia Region): it could have very interesting CO 2 storage potential, as high as tens of Million tonns of CO 2 stored in a single reservoir. At the same time the CBM production could be not insignificant. Since November, 2004 a consortium of private companies (Sotacarbo S.p.A., Carbosulcis S.p.A., I.E.S. S.r.l. and other minor contractors) as well as public research institutions, like INGV, ETHZ and University of Cagliari, jointed together to start a feasibility study of the ECBM Sulcis PROMECAS Project. The jointed consortium, is a good example of cooperation between a coal industry (Carbosulcis S.p.A.), a coal exploitation promotion company (Sotacarbo S.p.A.), a gasstorage reservoir-engineering little enterprise (IES. s.r.l.) and research & monitoring public institutions (INGV in Italy, ETHZ in Switzerland and universities). INGV started to model and monitor CO 2 storage test-sites since 2000 (Riding et al., 2003; Strutt et al., 2003, 2004; Jones et al., 2005; Quattrocchi et al., 2004 a, 2005), while ETH Zurich (Swiss) started during 90 to study in details the adsorption-desorption processes on different solid materials, including silica gel, zeolites, activated carbon and coal (Di Giovanni et al. 2001, Rajendran et al. 2002, Hocker et al. 2003). The project has the main objectives: i) to evaluate the ECBM technique throughout the Sulcis Coal Province as a whole (SW Sardinia Island, Italy, Sulcis Basin, more than 1400 Km 2 wide totally divided in 725 Km 2 in-shore and 730 Km 2 off-shore), adjacent to the Carbosulcis S.p.A. coal mining concession of 550 Km 2. It is N-S oriented, limited westward by the sea. Apart the CO 2 storage final

4 Tests, analysis and procedures (Lab and Field) for characterization of Sulcis Coal Bed Table 1: Lab Tests: Test Objectives Equipment Sample Features A) Moisture Equilibrium B) Moisture content C) High pressure adsorption and desorption D) Desorption by direct methods E) Core-flooding (CO 2 injection test) To know the moisture content equilibrium and use this value in the calculations To determinate the actual coal moisture content, so that the test are carried out under more accurate conditions To calculate the Langmuir Isotherms. To determinate the excess sorption capacity of the coal (for different gases). To know the hypothetical desorption and verify hysteresis effects. To know the amount of gas spontaneously released in the time (desorption rate gas diffusivity). To estimate the gas in place To determine the swelling behavior, CO 2 -CH 4 real sorption-desorption ratio, dewatering rates, production of CH 4. See ASTM D Crushed coal Carried out w/ standard test (30 C an 96-97% humidity) ASTM D See DIN Stainless-steel cell - Set of actuator driven valves - A high precision pressure transducer - A 24 µm filter - Thermostatic oven - Gas-tight container (Stainless-steel) - Graduate Cylinder or burettes - Pressure transducer - Stainless steel cell (internal radius at least 1.5 times the core radio). - Thermostatic oven - Rubber sleeve - Pumps Crushed coal (from core samples or drill cuttings) Dried or moist (at equilibrium) powdered coal. Mined or surface fresh coal can be used (Only if it represents truly the coal bed). Long storage produces oxidation that could reduce sorption capacity. Conventional core samples or drill cuttings. In order to know the real gas content in the coal, pressure cores is preferred (even if more expensive). Conventional core samples. Carried out w/ test DIN as soon as possible after sampling. Desorption is measured immediately after the corresponding sorption isotherms. Usually Langmuir model is used. It is necessary to correct the obtain Absorbed Volume with the density of the sorbed phase. Finely ground coal particles are typically used in order to reach the equilibrium in a practical amount of time. Isotherms for CH 4, CO 2 and mixtures are calculated. The more useful method in industrial activities is the USBM method. Pressure cores are samples sealed downhole. Cores as large as possible (preferably 7.6 to 10.2 cm). With pressure samples lost gas is largely less. It is a physical simulation of the coal bed that allows to know the actual process occurring at reservoir conditions.

6 objective, the project have in mind to help the initial project economics by producing industrially CH 4, also, if necessary, starting with the CBM techniques as a whole, injecting different proportions of CO 2 and N 2 respectively or, if it is possible the real flue-gas from power plants (foreseen as 17,35% CO 2, 3.35 % O 2, 75,02 % N 2, 0.89 % Ar, 3,38% H 2 ) for the Sulcis SU3 which will be the most candidate CO2 source of the project, Pettinau & Meloni, 2005) The project, at least three years long, foresees: i) the complete feasibility study for CBM at different depths ( mt) but mostly for ECBM techniques development for the coalbed methane strata deeper than 800 m (in continuity below the sea arm which separate the Sardinia island from the S. Pietro island), as requested to inject CO 2 at supercritical conditions. Around 10 8 tonns of coal are foreseen useful for the ECBM exploitation and ii) the first test wells drilling (a single set of CO 2 injection and CH 4 production wells, see the figure after). Scaled test-sites and ECBM network will be provided by a further operative project, foreseen starting on 2008 just in correspondence of the coal-sulcis Power plant exploitation (see paragraph and Pettinau and Meloni, 2005). The anthropogenic sources of CO 2 of the Sardinia Island and in particular those close the Sulcis Coal Province, operative within 2009 in the frame of the CCT exploitation (Pettinau & Meloni, 2005) are inserted in the MapInfo GIS and discussed in the frame project to allow economic evaluations by an optimization of distances/flue gas quality/compression devices as well as pipelines optimization: CO 2 is very sound to be transported by dry CO 2 pipelines, being the the catalogued plants located only at around 100 Km from the Sulcis Coal Province. The overall project intends both to create the first large-scale European ECBM operative site, and to reduce the GHG emissions in a strategic touristic and clean coal area. In the mean time the project could re-pay the first investments by producing coalbed methane (CBM) from un-minable coal beds. In case of CBM exploitation only, the methane extraction could be very useful to avoid grusù problems, in some sectors of the coal province before future deep mining activities. At the end of the ECBM exploitation (i.e years foreseen), the Sulcis Coal Province deeper strata will remain available for further CO 2 geological storage ( saline aquifer modality, Gunter et al., 1993; 1997 a-b; 2000; Angelone et al., 2005), if the storage potential and WRI conditions will be sound, as deepened by this feasibility study. At the moment the known litho-stratigraphy (up to m from the s.l.m.) and fluid geochemistry data seems to be good as regards the CO 2 buffer capacity for long term CO 2 geological storage. 2. The CBM and ECBM techniques The most important example of ECBM production is the Allison Unit CO 2 enhanced coalbeds methane recovery pilot project (Shi et al., 2004, Fig. 1 and 3), located in Northern New Mexico portion of the San Juan Basin, USA (242 Ml m 3 of CH 4 per Km 2 ), operated by Burlington Reseources, a little but dynamic reservoir engineers industry. Production from the Allison Unit started in 1989 while ECBM began in April 1995 and suspended in 2001 (Fig. 1). The CO 2 source was from McElmo Dome in Colorado, through a Shell pipeline at 10.4 MPa (6.4 Bcf of CO 2 injected in 6 years with a net storage volume of 277,000 tonns of carbon dioxide, The increase of methane recovery from estimated 77% of original gas in place to 95% of the original gas in place, within the affected area. The average production arrived to = 3,7 Ml m 3 in 6 years corresponding to 1630 m 3 /day (around 10 times less than a natural gas reservoir in production.

9 These criteria arise mainly from the nature of CBM as summarised below for the CCT scientific community as well. The coalification (Fig. 5, 6) produce naturally hydrocarbons, oil and natural gas, as detailed in Law and Rice, (1993). CBM is the methane naturally contained inside the coal beds structure during and after its burial and structural geology history. Coal contains a natural system of fractures called cleat which increase the possibility to store CH 4 and which impart some permeability to the system. Coal could physically adsorb many gases and may contain up to 25 Nm 3 of CH 4 per tonn of coal at coal seams pressure. It has higher affinity to adsorb gaseous CO 2 than methane. Volumetric ratio of adsorbable CO 2 versus CH 4 ranges from around 1 for mature coals, such as anthracite, to as high as 10 for younger coals, mainly if not altered. Gaseous CO 2 injected underground flow through the cleat system of the coal, diffuse into the coal matrix and be adsorbed through the coal micropore surfaces, freeing up gases as CH 4 with lower affinity to coal. Coals can be systematically described and classified, for CBM and ECBM purposes, according to three compositional criteria: - grade: relative proportion of organic matter vs. inorganic constituents; - type: represents different classes or categories of organic constituents; - rank: represents the level of physico-chemical alteration of coal composition and structure occurring during coalification not divided by sharp thresholds; it consist of Diagenesis 1) Peatification, 2) Dehydration, Catagenesis 3) Bituminisation, 4) Debituminization; Metagenesis 5) Graphitization. These processes may allow to distinguish: peat, lignite-sub-bituminous coal, high volatile bituminous coal, medium-low volatile bituminous and anthracite (ASTM, 1991, D-388, Tissot and Welte, 1984 and references inside Law and Rice, 1993). The rank assume concrete meaning only when measured in terms of a rank parameter, which might be any one of a variety of physical and chemical properties that change with coalification such as: - fixed carbon yield; - vitrinite reflectance; - heating value; For CBM and ECBM purposes, the rank (Fig. 7) is very important: although vitrinite reflectance is now the most widely used parameter to define the coal rank that is applicable to all coals, there is no single coal rank parameter that is applicable to all coals or is free of complications relating to type and grade. During the 70 various authors proposed the rank scale termed Level of Organic metamorphism (LOM) arisen by the evidence that no property universally applicable as a rank parameter. ASTM, 1991, D-388 has various deficiencies e.g,. the lack of applicability to inertiterich coals and its reliance solely on rank for classification (new proposed ICCS = International Coal Classification System, Alpern, 1989). Van Krevelen diagram reports the H/C and O/C ratios. For sorption capability H/C and O/C are lowering during coalification through the expulsion of low molecular weight hydrocarbons such as methane. During this de-bituminization process, which continues through medium-low volatilebituminous ranks, all previous evidence for bituminisation begins to reverse (fluorescence properties disappear, molecular concentrations and mean molecular weight of molecular constituents of the coal decrease and, eventually, the molecular structure reopens with associated increase in sorbate accessibility). Most coal properties pass through maximum or minimum values during the transition from bituminisation to de-bituminization. The CBM problem/techniques include a) a modern view of coalification that incorporates the twocomponents model (matrix/molecular fraction); b) tracing the compositional evolution of coal during coalification, especially as it relates to the generation of oil and gas; c) discussion of the

10 geologic context in which these changes occur, including peat formation, burial history and tectonic history. The two component model (details in Law and Rice, 1003) has been proposed in various forms since the turn of the century but has only recently gained wide popularity and acceptance as a consequence of its strength in the utility in reconciling compositional parameters with observed coal behavior. Virtually every measurable property of coal can be interpreted (or reinterpreted) in light of this model, including gas sorption capacity (Fig. 8 and our data in the results paragraph), diffusion rate, optical properties, liquefaction behavior and coking characteristics. The CH 4 is a gas of small size, non-polar character, low polarizability, free to enter and exit from the coal structure, even in water-saturated coal; weak but significant attractive forces between methane and other coal constituents giving rise to very high concentrations of methane in some coals at moderate reservoir pressures ( equivalent methane porosity can approach to 100%). The methods for rank characterization and distinction of molecular component/macro-molecolar component are all addressed to distinguish a fraction of coal that is relatively loosely bonded to the coal structure (mol) respect to the fraction more strongly bound and therefore more resistant to removal by thermal treatments or solvents (vacuum distillation; mild thermal treatment; solvent extraction; flash pyrolisis; H-NMR spectroscopy). Methane usually is present in three states: adsorbed in the coal micropores (~95%); dissolved in water in the cleats; free in the cleats, very rare. Fig. 5: Methane usually is present in three phases in the coal beds rock: adsorbed in the coal micro-pores (~95%); dissolved in water in the cleats; free in the cleats, this last situation is very rare CBM in situ = A x h x ρ x G c, A = productive area, h = net coal thickness (only beds > 3 m), ρ = coal density, Gc = methane gas content in coal (for weight units).

11 Fig. 6: Methane presence as a whole as a function of depth. Hydrocarbon production is maximum at 1500 mt depth (after Law and Rice, 1993). Fig. 7: Methane presence as a whole as a function of rank, 500 mt depth is around 700 psia. (after Law and Rice, 1993).

12 Fig. 8: Different sorption capacities for CH 4 of dry and moisture Upper-Silesian Basin coal (RECOPOL data) coal at T= 45 C Krooss et al. (2002). Swelling behaviour of coal during the CO 2 storage is foreseen: this reduce the permeability as a whole (details in Gunter et al., 2004 and in Shi and Durocan, 2004). Direct measurements of swelling are requested. Fig. 9: Synthesis of the results of the first tests throughout the San Juan Basin, New Mexico (Burlington Resources published data). Fig. 10: Adsorbed gas content in a coal. The adsorption ratios are CO 2 :CH 4 :N 2 = 4:2:1 (after Marroquìn et al, 2004)

13 The Krevelen diagram normally is used (Law and Rice, 1993 for details). Less is the moisture of the coal, greater is the CBM and ECBM potentiality of a coal (Law and Rice, 1993 and references herein). At 1 km of depth (normal geological gradients of 20 o C/km and 10 MPa/Km) the CH 4 gas content could be higher of 2 times if the moisture is 1% with respect to 6% (Sulcis coal at 500 mt depth), passing from 10 to 20 Std. m 3 /tonn daf. The permeability requirements (normally in the range 1-5 md) are strategic. The permeability is changing for the Allison Basin during the first gas injection for mechanism of coal swelling and fracture sealing by CO 2 or N 2 (see Fig. 9 and 10, see details in Gunter et al., 2004). 3. The Sulcis Coal Province The ancient and actual mining area cover the Gonnesa Basin (NW sector of the Sulcis Coal Basin) which is extended from the Gulf of di Funtanamare Northward to Carbonia Southward. Westward, the Tertiary sediments where the coal is trapped are underlying the Oligo-Miocenic covers. The mining concession areas was/are: - Tedras Collu (1) - Bacu Abis (2) - Cortoghiana (3) - Caput Acquas (4) - Sirai-Serbariu (5-6). - Piolamas (7) The thicknesses of coal beds plus coal black-clays are around 150 m. the coal cumulative thickness is around 20 % < 40 %. Around 250 Ml tonn of coal was evaluated in the mining area. Around 1 Bl tonns of coal could be evaluated in the rest of the sectors toward sea for the remaining areas, including the CBM and ECBM prone areas. The cut is 1,40 m high normally and the thickness between two coal beds is > 3,00 m. The volume of coal is > 60 %. The geology/stratigraphy is very well fitting with the ECBM purposes: a good cap-rock ( m) thickness i.e., is foreseen able to avoid CO 2 flux break-through at surface after the injection. Moreover good ph buffer capacity (Water Rock Interaction as WRI power) of the Miliolidi limestones host rock, is foreseen, able to assure solubility trapping, in a first stage, and mineral trapping on long periods (Gunter et al., 1993; 1997 a-b, 2000). The stratigraphy from the bottom to the top is: 1) Cambro-Silurianian Paleozoic Basement (fillads, carboniosus fillads, quartzites, metalimestones, meta-conglomerates); 2) Eocene, Paleogene Carboniferous (Cuisian-Lutetian) productive coal strata (basal conglomarates, Miliolidi limestones, Marly-limestones, Lagoon Marly-dolostones, fresch-water limestones) 3) sedimento-clastic Cixerri Formation (Pecorini, Pomesano & Cerchi, 1969, clays, sands, 300 m); 4) Andesites, Basaltic Andesites and Oligo-Miocene basalts; 5) Ignimbrites of the Formation Unità di Corona Maria; 6) Ignimbrites-dacites of the Formation Unità Lenzu; 7) Ignimbrites of the Formation Unità Acqua sa Canna; 8) Ignimbrites of the Formation Unità di Seruci; 9) Ignimbrites of the Formation Unità Conca Is Angius; 10) Ignimbrites of the Formation Unità di Nuraxi; 11) Ignimbrites of the Formation Commenditi; 12) Ignimbrites of the Formation Unità di Monte Ulmus; 13) Ignimbrites of the Formation Unità Paringianu; 14) Ignimbrites of the Formation Unità Serra Paringianu.

14 Fig. 11: Square on the left: possible area of the CBM and ECBM exploitation studied in the present paper. Square on the right (divided by sub-square) is the area characterised by environmental laws as park, actually. The location of the test pilot-site will be located in any case either in the North-western part of the basin, west of the Ponente Fault, or in the southwester part as a consequence of the ECBM prerequisite that the coal productive strata is located under 800 m and because is un-probable that the mining will reach these depth Otherwise in-shore horizontal drillings will reach off shore areas. The precise location of the drillings will be decided after new seismic reflection profiles and explorative boreholes. The tectonics is characterised by the following main faults (in the mined area) Serbariu-Sirai Fault (Est of the basin, 50 m dislocation, dip W) Sinni Fault (NNE-SSW average: N30); Cortoghiana Fault (NNW-SSE, N170 post-volcanities around 3-18 M years; Maiorchina Fault (NW-SE, dislocation around 7-20 m); Ponente Fault (N-S, limited W of Seruci, dislocation of m) Acqua Sa Canna Fault post-vulcanities around Middle Miocene, N80, N dipping, dislocation 50 m, M. Genere block); Paringianu Fault ( E-W, dip N, dislocation m). M. Ulmus Fault (N80E, dislocation 100 m, limited to Permian) Fig. 12: Available Seismic profiles (Francois private enterprises data) inserted within the Mapinfo GIS under construction. Other seismic profiles are from AGIP, Other seismic surveys case histories are reported in literature (Marroquìn and Hart, 2004).

15 The foreseen CO 2 geological sequestration area, which details will be deepened by an impending seismic reflection survey (Fig. 11 and 12) could be significant (order of magnitude of tens 10 6 tonns storage foreseen), in the frame of the ECBM cycle as a whole. Coal-bearing strata, Tertiary in age, dip westward, such that stratigraphically shallower coals crop out in the eastern part of the Sulcis basin and became progressively regular and flat far from the Tertiary-Paleozoic boundary located eastward. The coal strata, increasingly deeper toward the west (around 150 m total thickness, growing westward, with cumulate power of coal comprised among 20 and 40 %), are 8-10% westward dipping. The coal beds are inside Paleogene clayey sedimentary rocks and over carbonate rocks (Lagoon limestone named Miliolitico ) overlying in angular discordance the filladic Basement. The is reaching the 800 sound injection depth in some location in shore (drilling 37/87 at M. Ulmus), but mostly off-shore, where the coal strata thickness tend to be progressively greater and continuous. It involves, very possibly, horizontal wells to be drilled in-shore to pick-up CBM off-shore. This is also to minimize the environmental impact of the project. The coal composition is very important in the frame of an ECBM feasibility study. The Krevelen diagram (not shown, but see law and Rice, 1993) for humic coals, rich in vitrinite macerals, as the Sulcis coal, is promising for the exploitation of CBM and ECBM in the Sulcis Coal Province. The sapropelic, coals, alginite or sporinite maceral rich, have an H/C greater and a lower O/C; in this case the conditions are not properly optimal for CBM and ECBM industrial exploitation. The vitrinite reflectance coefficient (R o ) as well as M.V. = Volatile Matter (44.09 % for Sulcis Coal, Method ASTM ) are normally reported in the Krevelen diagram. The Sulcis coal, located in the High volatile C bituminous classification field, (from literature data, while INGV new analyses are ongoing) is characterised by a macerals content of 89.3 % subdivided in Vitrinite: 73.3 %, Exinite: 11 %, Inertite: 5 % and 11% of Mineral Matter (mineral constituents). Normally the graph Vitrinite reflectance /Ro %) versus Volatile Matter (V.M. %) is used to estimate the coal pertinence to CBM techniques: among the macerals inertite is subject to devolatilization and aromatization well before the maturative history of the coal, with respect to the vitrinite macerals (Sulcis, 73.3 %). The coal Molecolar Fraction of a coal is dominated by water. At an intermediate rank the hydrocarbons, including oil and asphalts, become the dominant Molecolar Fraction (Levine, 1992 see inside Law and Rice, 1993). The CBM maximum potentiality is suggested at around Ro = 0.7 % with bituminization. For a coal with vitrinite reflectance % as 0.48 as the Sulcis coal, an estimate of the potential gas generation could be done (after Higgs, 1986): during the coalification up to the anthracite rank, a Carboniferous sub-hydrous coal will generate around 150 ml/g of CH 4 while a perhydrous Tertiary coal (Sulcis) will generate around 200 ml/g of CH 4 (at 1 atm pressure). The gas generation as a whole, including CO 2, is around the same for the type of coals. At high rank, the free hydrocarbons are not more present but water newly dominate in the coal structure. Better conditions are expected in Sulcis at mt depth with respect the actual 500 mt depth coal, sampled for this study. As a whole, the coal sorption capacity of the coal as a function of the methane pressure, i.e. for an high-volatile bituminous B (hvbb) pertinent to the Illinois Basin (after Joubert et al., 1974) is around variable with the moisture content reported as weight %. The dry coal has an adsorption capacity (Gas in Place = GIP) significantly higher. For the Sulcis coal, of similar rank, the cross-check with the Illinois Basin coal suggests around 6 cm 3 CH 4 /gram of coal at STP conditions, considering 6-7 % of moisture; instead, 16 cm 3 CH 4 /gram of coal at STP conditions, are expected for the same coal, dry.

16 Considering all the literature suggestions, the expected GIP of ml CH 4 /gram of coal at STP conditions as whole, is estimated but it could be changed in the course of the project depending on the intrinsic coal characteristics highlighted in the mean time as: absorption capacity porosity (free gas) structural geology/burial history of the reservoir gas generation and migration structural geology patterns (fault systems). Gas sorption of CO 2 for the Sulcis coal rank is foreseen as 300 scf/ton corresponding to 10 m 3 CO 2 per tonn of coal. 4. New experimental results An ECBM pre-feasibility study has the aim to perform a first assessment of technical, geological, geochemical, geophysical, environmental, economical and legal aspects involved in the development of CO 2 storage with coal bed methane production, considering that very few case exists in literature after NOVEM (2003). It provides: - the selection of possible drilling location in the area as test-site considering the geological, structural and geochemical conditions underground. - The potentials of gas production and CO 2 storage capacity of the reservoir. - Preliminary technical design for a single test site and cost spreadsheet in details. - Overall evaluation for up-scaling of that test site as well as for a commercial size network for ECBM exploitation. - A first reworking of applicable environmental laws and regulations, if lacking. The work done or in progress up to date (see also table 1 and 2) in the frame of this Phase I of the project is: - critical reworking of the information and documents available by the Carbosulcis S.p.A and collection of literature data on CBM, ECBM and the Sulcis coal province papers (mainly from Carbosulcis, 1994 and references herein, AGIP data, papers cited in the list) We reworked geochemical (fluid geochemistry mainly and compositional data of coal, table 3 and Table 4), structural-geology, stratigraphic and reservoir engineering experimental data; - critical reworking of environmental impact throughout the Sulcis area on the basis of the existent laws and directivities as well as regional documents; - experimental study of adsorption of CO 2 on the Sulcis coal to evaluate the adsorption capacity; - design a new de-sorption experiment to evaluate the rate and quality of gas spontaneously released from the Sulcis coal. - build up of a Mapinfo GIS structure, adding new CBM and ECBM pertinent strata, including the available industrial CO 2 sources to the geological, idrogeological, geophysical and structural-geological data. Environmental objects and other significant polygons were added too. At the end this GIS will be jointed to other CO 2 -storage EC data-gis as the GETSCO EC project structure to allow a ready picture about where and how store CO 2 from the interested industrial plants. Further software sub-routine will calculate the costs on the basis of the pipeline distances, compressors energy expanses, depth of drillings, etc., environmental constrains, etc All this information will be made friendly available inside the MapInfo GIS for the project partners and for the CCT (Clean Coal Technologies) community.

17 Media ASTM Met. % Umid U i = 5.25 M.V R o =0.48 (old datum) Ash = A% C fix C tot H 4, N 1, O 11, S PCS = 4415 Kcal/ kg PCI = 4177 Kcal/kg Table. 3: Analyses (24/02/05) of the Sulcis in situ coal, useful to characterize the coal for ECBM and CBM techniques. Macerals analyses are in progress by INGV. Groundwater analyses available (from Carbosulcis et al., 1994 and from Piras, 2000) are the baseline to start further INGV analytical work foreseen in the next months on selected sites listed in Table 4. The available chemical data data are suggesting CBM potentiality as a consequence of the Cl composition of the thermal groundwater circulating in the Miliolidi Limestone Formation (NUF 1 sample, 42 o C) located under the coal productive strata. Isotopical analyses are actually completely lacking in literature with the exception of D and H ratios data. Isotopes of C, S, He and Cl are foreseen, as other case histories (Snyder et al., 2003 and references herein) to deepen the origin and circulation patterns of groundwater and WRI processes as done for other CO 2 storage settings (Quattrocchi et al., 2004 a, 2005). As regards the adsorption experiments on the Sulcis coal, ETH started with high-pressure adsorption of CO 2, CH 4 and their mixtures on coal, needed for the design of ECBM processes (Pini et al., 2005). In literature there is an almost lack of comprehensive adsorption data at high pressure. Competitive adsorption under near critical conditions is even less well understood. A gravimetric method was used to produce the experimental data for the excess adsorption of CO 2 on different commercial adsorbents. The first data highlight clear evidences of Critical Adsorption and Critical Depletion phenomena. Adsorption behaviour on commercial adsorbents is well modelled using Lattice Density Functional theory (DFT). There is possibility to apply the model to adsorption properties on coal (Rajendran et al., 2002; Pini et al., 2005). The overall applications of these experimental studies are: investigation of single component adsorption of CO 2 and CH 4 on coal. investigation of binary sorption equilibria for applications in chromatography and in Enhanced Coal Bed Methane (ECBM) for CO 2 sequestration. swelling of polymers and coal under supercritical conditions and description of Supercritical Fluid Chromatography (SFC) systems with non-negligible pressure drops (see Pini et al., 2005 for details). The first preliminary experimental data are showed (Fig. 13). The ETH experimental apparatus to measure the Sulcis Coal adsorption capacity is a Rubotherm Magnetic Suspension Balance. The specifications are: T max = 250 o C, P max = 450 bars, Resolution 0.01 mg, Measurements of temperature, density and excess adsorption were performed. The Void Volume measurement is

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